Travel advice for Scotland
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Scotland
Book your individual trip, stress-free with local travel experts
written by Helen Ochyra
updated 20.05.2021
You might have heard that a certain big-name design museum has opened in Dundee. The architecturally stunning V&A will indeed open its doors on Dundee’s waterfront in September, offering an exciting programme of exhibitions and events – but there’s so much more to the Dundee & Angus region than one long-awaited museum. Here are seven more reasons you should travel to this unsung corner of Scotland now.
20 days / from3066 USD
The Great British Road Trip
Get ready to explore Britain on this unique self-drive road trip. Choose the car of your liking before you hit the road: from the Cotswolds and its picturesque villages over the Beatle's favorite hang-out in Liverpool to Scotland's capital Edinburgh: this trip includes many highlights to be explored
view tour ⤍6 days / from627 USD
Festive Feelings around Christmas in Scotland
Experience the magic of Christmas in the heart of the Scottish Highlands! Lovely Christmas Markets and winter festivals await visitors during the winter months, but this itinerary can also be turned into a summer festival hop!
view tour ⤍11 days / from1096 USD
Scotland's Wildest Natural Scenery
Want to lose yourself in Scotland's wildest natural scenery? This itinerary is a breath of fresh air and perfect to explore the most enchanting landscapes of the Highlands. It will allow you to get to know the wildest landscapes of Scotland, its fast-paced history and its amazing traditions.
view tour ⤍7 days / from696 USD
A true 'Outlander' Adventure
Calling all Outlander lovers…you are in luck! Who would like to follow in the footsteps of the nurse Claire Beauchamp on her trip to Scotland in 1743? We have designed the perfect itinerary to experience the most charming corners that feature in the series.
view tour ⤍7 days / from915 USD
Magical 8-Day Family Adventure in Scotland and England : From Harry Potter to Loch Ness!
Searching for an unforgettable family adventure? Scotland is the perfect destination! With a perfect balance of nature, adventure, and Scottish culture. This 8-day trip offers a delightful mix of activities that everyone in the family will enjoy. Get ready to create life long lasting memories!
view tour ⤍9 days / from1536 USD
Highland Tour: Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and Edinburgh
Discover the beautiful region of Perthshire, the famous Loch Ness and Inverness – the capital of the Highlands. Get a chance to admire Europe’s oldest mountain, stroll along sandy beaches on the Scottish West Coast, and visit the mysterious Isle of Skye.
view tour ⤍14 days / from3300 USD
Walking around vintage England and picturesque Scotland
Visit two traditional capitals, London and Edinburgh, and enjoy a trek through the Loch Lomond national park. This trip will let you discover peaceful Scottish islands by foot, with several days of detailed walking tours included in the trip.
view tour ⤍8 days / from810 USD
Harry Potter and The Alnwick Castle
You are one step away from joining a magical adventure! If you are fans of the wonderful world of the little magician apprentice, Harry Potter then the time has come to discover the very scenes where the Harry Potter universe was filmed. Do not forget to bring your wand. We await you on platform 9¾!
view tour ⤍8 days / from4032 USD
Discover 'All Creatures Great and Small' - England & Scotland
Explore the sets of the TV show "All Creatures Great and Small". The show follows the adventures of a young veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales during the 1930s. Start in London and make your way up to Yorkshire and then further to Edinburgh in Scotland.
view tour ⤍Scott and Shackleton’s very first expedition to the Antarctic was aboard a ship built in Dundee. This was the RRS Discovery and she still sits on the waterfront here today, her trio of masts standing sentry over the V&A next door. Clambering aboard is a sobering moment – it’s hard to believe this slender wooden ship took 48 men, 23 howling dogs and 45 terrified sheep south to Antarctica in 1901 in temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees. Don’t miss Discovery Walk just outside, a series of 10 bronze plaques in the revamped waterfront that celebrate Dundee’s gifts to the world – among them the Dandy and Beano.
Alongside the V&A, there is plenty in Dundee to keep art lovers occupied. The city hosts the country’s only permanent acting ensemble, the Dundee Rep, for a start. They share their home with the Scottish Dance Theatre and there’s a year-round calendar of world-class events. Practically next door is the DCA, Dundee Contemporary Arts. Check out the temporary exhibitions here or pop in for a screening of an arthouse film. Every Dundonian’s favourite arts space, though, has to be the McManus, a glorious sandstone Victorian Gothic building dedicated to the region’s treasures. Here you can sweep up the spiral staircase to galleries that are home to everything from ancient Pictish stones to the skeleton of the Tay Whale.
Dundee has a long, proud history of innovation. In Victorian times, the city was known for the three Js – jute, jam and journalism. For “jam”, read marmalade, supposedly invented locally. For journalism, think D.C. Thomson, the Dundee printer and publisher. As for jute – a vegetable fibre used to make hessian, tarpaulin and rope – you can delve into its Dundee heritage for yourself at Verdant Works. This beautifully refurbished jute mill tells the story of the city’s time as “juteopolis”, the world’s capital of jute production. Note that innovation is not a thing of the past here, either – the computer game Grand Theft Auto was invented by Dundonians and the city is a gaming hub to this day.
Edinburgh might be the only Scottish city to hold a Michelin star (or four) but Dundee holds its own when it comes to inventive modern cuisine. In the city centre, the best place to eat is Castlehill, where chef Graham Campbell makes the very best of Scotland’s larder. Think Shetland scallops with cauliflower and caramel and Highland venison served with a Douglas fir jus. Just across the Tay in Newport, former Masterchef: The Professionals winner Jamie Scott changes his tasting menu at The Newport Restaurant daily. Small plates are the thing here and since they start at £3.50, you can afford to be adventurous. Coley marinated in Scottish tequila, avocado and blood orange, perhaps?
The warm red sandstone ruins of Arbroath Abbey are more than just the bones of a grand 12th-century monastery – this is hallowed ground. In 1320 a document was written here that boldly laid out Scotland’s intention to forever be independent from England. The Declaration of Arbroath is regarded as Scotland’s birth certificate and was an inspiration for the American Declaration of Independence. This legacy led the four students who, in 1950, stole the Stone of Destiny (on which all Scottish kings were crowned) from Westminster Abbey to return the stone to Arbroath Abbey.
One of Scotland’s very best castles is in the heart of Angus. As the childhood home of the Queen Mother and fictional home of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Glamis Castle is associated with royalty both bone fide and imagined. But it is this 14th-century dame’s glorious architecture – all turrets and towers – and gorgeous gardens that really makes her so loveable. The interior has to be visited on a guided tour but it’s well worth the effort – you’ll hear stories aplenty about everyone from Mary Queen of Scots to Old Pretender James VIII and get to poke around the halls and royal apartments checking out ornate fireplaces and priceless paintings.
The Cairngorms National Park is Britain’s largest – some forty percent larger than the Lake District. Part of it lies in Angus, where five serene glens run down from the Cairngorms like the fingers of a hand. Perhaps the most spectacular is Glen Clova and one of the best easy walks here is the 3.5-mile hike to Loch Brandy from the village of Clova. A well-made path leads to a lofty loch cradled in a sheer-sided corrie. The glens are also home to some of Scotland’s less challenging Munros (mountains over 3000 feet). A local favourite combines Mayar with Driesh, ascending both in around five hours from Glen Doll. Look out for golden eagles here too.
written by Helen Ochyra
updated 20.05.2021
Helen Ochyra is a Scotland-obsessed freelance travel writer and author of the critically acclaimed Scottish travel book "Scotland Beyond the Bagpipes", a Times Travel “book of the week” and one of Wanderlust’s “best travel books of 2020”. Helen specialises in British travel and is currently studying towards a Masters in British Studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands. Helen's work has recently appeared in the Times, the Telegraph and Grazia among many others. She lives in London with her husband and two young daughters.
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From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Scotland